To say that Halloween brings out the best — whatever that might constitute — in the patrons of the Purple Bat Lounge is to understate the case somewhat. The bar’s management sponsors its annual costume competition, with the winner taking home a bottle of Four Roses. (It was later rumored that said bottle never actually made it home, having been traded for a hot bag in the parking lot.) Amidst last Saturday’s spooky revels, DJ Lee-Roy marveled at the imaginative drag on display. The dog was disappointed to have co-host Reeshard point out that the redhead done up as Lindsay Lohan was wearing an ankle bracelet and, as such, in all probability actually was Lindsay Lohan. So it went: Many sinister novelty records played; Uncle Morty stopped by with an array of a seasonally appropriate offerings on his dingy truck; bartender LaWanda kept the Lee-Roy™ cocktails flowing; and thus barely anyone remembered how it all ended. You, too, can enjoy the defining soundtrack to our favorite holiday, simply by clicking immediately below. Just watch out for the candy apples, OK?

On this particular Saturday evening, DJ’s Reeshard & Lee-Roy seized the moment to reflect as No Condition Is Permanent rounded another 25th episode milepost. They pulled their favorite tunes from the past 24 episodes, as has long been their wont when significant anniversaries occur. Lee-Roy’s friends at The Madison Theater, to honor the occasion, brought back a very Psychotronic™ two-headed twin bill, and Uncle Morty marked the occasion by delivering an old favorite, albeit one with unexpected side-effects. But isn’t that always the way? Over 3 dozen fantastic tunes played and so much else happened as well. You, o lucky creature, you can enjoy all this without venturing out of the house, simply by clicking immediately below…

Whatever occurred last Saturday evening down at the Purple Bat Lounge, was doubtless the sum of one of those oft-mentioned perfect storms. Inhaling but the briefest whiff of the bar’satmospherewould reveal the constituent elements of said conflagration: A somewhat acrid aroma, the result of severalMadagascar cockroachestossed (by local “gentleman of leisure”Lotsa Poppa) at thebug zapperhanging above the bar’sOutdoor Patio™; a strange, sex-as-means-to-revenge twin-bill screening at the Madison; three dozen tunes of mob inciting quality; DJ Lee-Roy connecting with a vial ofDiablo— the last thing he needed, really — as delivered byUncle Morty’s truck; and appearing (almost literally) at the beginning of this week’s episode, anOnassis Coney Island. This last item, a purportedly edible gift from Lee-Roy to his designated human, fellow DJ Reeshard, one which said human came to regret almost immediately upon ingestion. A great many causes and still more effects, the seeds of this end-of-summer carnival gone so very wrong, now available to you merely by clicking a few pixels to the south:

And so we survive yet another Saturday evening on Brush St. in downtown Detroit. Autumn has officially begun, though you wouldn’t know it to look at the thermometer. Inside the Purple Bat Lounge, patrons endure the usual mayhem while waiting forbartender LaWandato return fromthe basement and fill their drink orders. DJ’s Reeshard & Lee-Roy man the wheels of steel, crafting four sets of music for friends and ‘umm-friends’ alike. (You know what we’re talking about, right? “And this is my…ummm…friend.”) All is well with our version of the world until, in rapid succession:Uncle Morty’s truck pulls up; something calledAmerican Beautytops this week’s Cheeba Chart™; and Lee-Roy, already under its influence, meets a new squeeze named Elviry (who wearsFrye boots…eesh). If you’re thinking none of this bodes well, you’d be on the same page as Reeshard, the latter having to cope with the results. Click below and learn how it all turned out…

The summer is winding down. As the days grow shorter and cooler, opportunities to visit the notoriousOutdoor Patioin back of the Purple Bat Lounge (in truth, just some plastic folding chairs set out near the trash cans) are fewer and farther between. DJ Lee-Roy optimizes his time in what passes for the great outdoors in downtown Detroit, waiting to see what new insectsLotsa Poppahas brought fromBwana Don‘s pet store to throw at the bug zapper. Brush St.’s favorite pit bull exercised due diligence throughout, broadcast professional that he is, turning up in the booth at intervals to spin some great tunes, the balance filled out by his partner and designated human, Reeshard. The latter makes apologies to the listenership on this particular evening, enumerating thereasonswhy ‘Go Nude For Luxuria Music’ Day didn’t materialize this summer. Other good things happen, but we’re hard pressed to remember just what. Click below and all shall be revealed…

Last Saturday evening had it all: That inescapable swampy midwestern end-of summer ambiance; nearly three dozen fantastic tunes, any one among them capable of breaking your lease; both sides of the pit bull psyche laid bare (the dichotomy in question being irksome vs. outright annoying); the saga of DJ Lee-Roy’s nemesis, our local animal control officer andthe latter’s unfortunate shorts; a threatened visit fromNice Guy Eddie, Lee-Roy’s localfrenemy; a rundown of the latest strains available onUncle Morty’s truck; and a mission statement for the show as delivered bythe most famous dog on Brush St.. You didn’t have to be there — though we’re grateful if you were — but now you can immerse yourself in the Purple Bat’s miasma in the comparative no-fire zone of your own living room, simply by clicking a few pixels south of this sentence…

Is there a creature more pitiable than a rambunctious pit bull mired in the humidity of late August? We thought not, though largely because everyone within earshot at the Purple Bat Lounge is continually reminded of this alleged fact by that self same pit bull, DJ Lee-Roy. Even Uncle Morty’s delivery ofthe dog’s namesake weed strain — the former’s arrival costing the bar yet another lawn jockey — did little to meliorate Lee-Roy’s funk. Of course, Reeshard had to choose this evening to mention his canine co-host’sreactionto a critical scene from an old David Cronenberg film. As you might have guessed, that didn’t go over well. No, not just your tiny bit. But music saved the day, as it can be relied upon to do. The guys played three dozen summer-appropriate tunes that paired so effectively withour new favorite gin, a lifesaver in this fetid climate. Click below to hear how it all played out…

We can do little to describe the evening documented on this particular installment of the N.C.I.P. podcast, save to say that it perfectly encapsulates our ownSaison en Enfer, as experienced within an overwarm dive bar on Brush Street in downtown Detroit. Which could also account for the belated appearance online of our latest episode. But no matter: these two hours contain both a lot of great music and perhaps an appropriate soundtrack for barbecue and cocktails into the bargain. Click below and hear for yourselves…

One could review the police blotter description of last Saturday night’s proceedings at the Purple Bat Lounge, and still be hard pressed to discern the source of DJ Lee-Roy’s attitude. Not that he’s ever been the soul of modesty or anything, but his built-in pit bull hubris seemed pitched to new extremes. The source of Lee-Roy’s heightened sense of self? Why,neuticlesof course. Our show’s canine co-host discovered these in an ad buried in the back pages of Paws’n’Gravy, the weird fetish magazine he receives in the mail from Montréal (a place with presumably more liberal attitudes aboutdogs covered in Jah-knows-what). This seemed like the last word in post-neutering trauma repair, at least to hear Lee-Roy tell it. Reeshard, for his part, tried to ignore the whole thing, concentrating instead on the few dozen great tunes which played throughout. These included a couple of songs commemorating in upbeat fashion the Count’s Mom, who sadly left the planet but a few days before. A good time was had, especially by those decamping to the bar’sOutdoor Patio, there to watch thebug zapperdo its thing. And you can experience this too — well, sort of — just by clicking on that arrow due south of these words…

It was but a single Saturday evening spent in a bad part of downtown Detroit in especially swampy weather, yet it spawned so many questions: Why was DJ Lee-Roy in such a tetchy mood? Why does ‘Love Come(s) In Spurts’? Why does it hurt? Where does Uncle Morty get thatForbidden Fruit? Why does Lee-Roy dig it so much? Is it simply because Béatrice Dalle‘s picture adorns the canister’s label? Who is responsible for that berserk guitar solo on ‘I Believe I Found Myself,’ if notEddie Hazel? Why does DJ Reeshard feel especially like a Democrat on this particular Saturday? If indeedthe Upsetters are playing to us from deep ‘In The I-Aah,’ then where is it? How do the rest of us get there? If Vietnam had its own Elvis (Phương), did it have aDr. Nick? (We know: dumb question.) Why are there so manyzombies? And why are they on Lee-Roy’s side? And, speaking of the most famous pit bull on Brush St., when Lee-Roy snagged a date with a hotPuli, did he know which end he was dating? And, finally, why don’t you click on the little arrow immediately below? You may learn the answers to some of the above inquiries. Or you may have some questions of your own? ‘Cause, frankly, it’s the day after and by this point we’re worn out…